This archive report was first published on 5 July 2021.
Former South African president Jacob Zuma has defied his 15-month jail sentence for contempt, claiming that the Constitutional Court will hear his pleas.
Speaking at a press conference in his Nkandla residence in KwaZulu-Natal on Sunday, July 4, 2021, Zuma faced local and international reporters, some of whom had earlier been heckled and threatened by hundreds of his supporters.
According to reports, Zuma insisted that he was innocent and that he was being picked on, saying, “there cannot be one law for Jacob Zuma” that did not also apply to everyone else.
He also accused Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo of bias against him, a claim that was previously rejected when Zuma demanded Zondo's recusal.
The press conference followed days of high drama, with hundreds of Zuma supporters congregating outside his residence, violating Covid-19 lockdown regulations as the Delta variant ravaged the country.
Despite the national police spokesman's warning that all violators would be arrested and order would be restored outside Zuma's home, there was no sign of any effort by authorities to bring a halt to Zuma's supporters congregating.
Security sources said it had been decided that, rather than engage in confrontation that would almost certainly lead to violence, it was better to de-escalate matters, especially as Zuma's showdown with the Constitutional Court had been pushed out by at least a week.
On July 12, 2021, Zuma's pleas for an overturning of his prison term by the Constitutional Court will be heard.
